Description
WARTIME KNIGHTS CROSS WINNER PORTRAIT PHOTO & SIGNATURE & LENGTHY DEDICATION – WOLFGANG SPÄTE – 99 VICTORIES
Excellent portrait photo with original signature and lengthy handwritten note on the reverse! 9x13cm
Wolfgang Späte was a German fighter ace, born on September 8, 1911, in Podersam. Before World War II, he gained fame as a glider pilot, earning multiple awards, and studied at Darmstadt Technical University.
During the war, Späte flew the Messerschmitt Bf 109 with Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54). He later led the test program for the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, flying the aircraft several times. After the Me 163 was deemed combat-ready, the test program moved, and Späte was reassigned to operational units on the Eastern Front.
He served in Jagdgeschwader 400 (JG 400) and JG 54 on the Eastern Front, and with JG 7 in Europe. Allegedly, he flew 600 missions and claimed 99 aerial victories, including five while piloting the Me 262 jet. A notable anecdote: one of his Me 163s was painted red to mimic the famed Red Baron, which Späte promptly had repainted.
After the war, he joined the West German Bundeswehr in 1956. Späte retired as an Oberstleutnant in 1967 and passed away on April 30, 1997, in Edewecht.
The following newspaper excerpt (dated 17.10.1941) describes why Späte received the Knight’s Cross…
“Oberleutnant Wolfgang Späte has shot down 32 enemy aircraft and 2 Soviet barrage balloons during the course of numerous aerial battles in the Balkans and the Eastern campaign. He has also demonstrated heroic bravery and dependability whilst flying ground attack and escort sorties.”
